Andy Rooney dies

UPDATE: Andy Rooney died Friday night, according to CBS, only a month after delivering his 1,097th and final televised commentary. He died of complications from surgery. The article below was published about Andy Rooney Sept 28th after his retirement was announced. Rooney received the NSNC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 and is a member of our Hall of Fame.

Andy Rooney retires from “60 Minutes”

Andy Rooney, one of a kind journalist and broadcasting legend, plans to announce his retirement from “60 Minutes” after 33 years on the show. Rooney, 92, has contributed essays in a regular segment on CBS since 1978, perfecting his well-known curmudgeon style for millions of viewers. Rooney is crediting with helping to make “60 Minutes” the nation’s most popular news commentary program.

In addition to his pioneer video column, Rooney has written a print column since 1979 for Tribune Media Services, which is syndicated to 200 newspapers across the nation. His column was recognized by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists when he was presented with our Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 at our Conference in Arizona. He has received numerous other awards, four Emmys, including a Lifetime Achievement Emmy, and six awards from the Writer’s Guild,

For many years prior to his popular TV segment, Rooney was a contributing writer to CBS. He paid his dues writing for early television classics, such as “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts” and the “Gary Moore Show.” He also wrote for public-affairs broadcasts, such as “Twentieth Century.”

Rooney was a war correspondent who flew with the air force on the first American bombing raid over Germany in World War II. The Overseas Press Club gave him its President’s Award in 2010 for his reporting in “Stars and Stripes.”

Rooney is one of the most recognized journalists of our times, beloved by millions of readers and viewers. He satirizes the small annoyances of life in a way that has endeared him to those who identify with his commentary.

He has been the subject of parody by popular culture as his recognizable personal style and appearance make him an easy target. However, no one can fail to respect his long and impressive career in the news and entertainment business.

Jeff Fager, the chairman of CBS News and the executive producer of “60 Minutes” says Andy will always be welcome to return and comment if the urge hits him to speak his mind.